The Pottsboro Independent School District, Texas's board of trustees gave its seal of approval Tuesday night on a $54.7 million bond package meant to update many of the district's facilities, but also give voters the option to select an additional $4 million multipurpose facility, if they so desire.
With board member Jody Lipscomb absent from the meeting, the trustees unanimously voted in favor of the package and secondary option. The board-approved bond includes a host of projects, including a new elementary school, districtwide technology upgrades, and renovations and additions to the middle school, high school, athletic facilities and the old intermediary school, which will serve as the district's new administration building.
"We had two ways to bite this apple," board member Brett Graham said. "We could have either patched one building or we could have assessed the district and taken it all on. Obviously, the conclusion that we reached here today, after two years of work, and all the efforts we've put forward, we've decided to put forward to the voters something that will improve this district, not just for five years or eight years or nine years, but 20 years, 25 years, in my opinion."
The $54.7 million standalone package is expected to increase the district's interest and sinking tax rate from its current 11 cents to 39 cents, placing the overall tax rate at $1.43 per $100 valuation. Should voters opt to add the multipurpose facility for another $4 million, the $58.7 million version of the package would raise the I&S rate from 11 cents to 42 cents, pushing the overall rate to $1.46 per $100 valuation.
The largest of the projects is a new $27 million elementary school. The campus is tentatively set for construction on Franklin Street with a connection to Clement Court and boasts more than 87,000 square feet of space. But the bond also calls for multiple renovations and additions at different campuses.
The district's middle school is poised to receive a $15.6 million facelift, which includes the construction of 13 new classrooms and a storm shelter, all encompassed in an approximately 20,000 square foot addition. The other improvements largely center on renovations of everything from the campus' east and west gyms to interior academic spaces, which will support the performing arts programs and science labs. Demolitions of the school's west wing and basement building are also factored into the project.
Pottsboro High School is positioned to receive $6.4 in renovations and additions under the bond package. The updates include a 5,000 square foot addition, which will house career and technology education spaces, an art studio and a storm shelter -- all for the tune of $3.7 million. The remaining updates include a $2.3 million renovation and addition to the school's field house and $700,000 for a new parking lot on the campus' north side, as well as four new tennis courts.
Rounding out the package is a $2.5 million upgrade of technology infrastructure and digital devices, $700,000 in improvements to the football stadium, $1 million in general renovations and paving projects and a $1.5 million renovation of the old intermediary school so that it may serve as the district's new administration building.
Voters will have the option to choose a $4 million multipurpose indoor athletic facility at the high school, which will appear as a secondary option item on the ballot.
Graham spoke on behalf of the board when he said the trustees floated the $4 million multipurpose facility to voters as an add-on because they saw it as desirable but not essential.
"We felt like it was imperative that the taxpayers had the option to vote on that separately and not be forced to say all or nothing," Graham said. "That's why that was broke out as a secondary option."
The Pottsboro ISD School board was first presented with a $61 million bond package by the district-assembled Community Facility Team in February. Following the group's presentation, the trustees opted not to call a bond election, and instead spent the next five months prioritizing projects and considering costs in a series of meeting which sometimes stretched for hours.
"It was not easy," board Vice President Marquin Payne said of the decision-making process.
The bond and secondary option will go up for a vote on Nov. 7. Pottsboro ISD Superintendent Kevin Matthews said the district will spend the months leading up to the election generating and distributing information about the packages and their fiscal impacts, so that voters are able to make an informed decision when they head to the polls.
"We'll begin the process of creating materials to get out to our community and taxpayers." Matthews said in a phone interview. "We'll visit with them so they understand the specifics of the facilities that will be either new or renovated and how it will improve things across the district for our kids. And we'll share the financial changes to the tax rate and the impact it will have on their home values."
